Tanis said in his own voice, 'Crap. It's all a lot of crap.'
'What? — ' said another voice, and I knew that voice was Caramon's, and he sounded the same dear old confused Caramon as always. I couldn't believe my luck.
'Tanis, my dear,' came a woman's voice and it was Laurana! I knew that because she's the only one who ever calls Tanis my DEAR. 'Don't talk so loudly.'
'But what? — ' That was Caramon again.
'No one can hear me,' said Tanis, interrupting. He sounded really irritated and in a Bad Mood. 'This damn fog muffles everything. The truth is that the knights are having political problems at home. That draconian raid on Throtl touched off a riot in Palanthas. People think the knights should go into the mountains and wipe out the draconians and the goblins and anything else that doesn't wipe them out first. It's all the fault of this new group of boneheads who say we should go back to the golden days of the Kingpriest!'
'But doesn't Lady Crysania — ' Caramon tried again.
'Oh, she reminds people of the truth,' Tanis told him. 'And I think most understand. But the fanatics are gaining converts, especially when the refugees come forward and tell their tales of Throtl in flames and goblins killing babies. What no one seems to realize is that the knights couldn't possibly raise an army large enough to go into the Khalkists, even if they did ally with the dwarves. The rest of Solamnia would be left defenseless, which is probably just exactly what these goblins raids are trying to accomplish; But these fools don't want to listen to reason.'
'Then why are we — '
' — here? That's why,' Tanis answered. 'The knights are turning this into a public spectacle in order to remind everyone how truly great and wonderful we are. Are you sure we're going the right direction?'
I could see them now from where I was hiding. (Caution, not snooping.) Tanis and Caramon and Laurana were riding on horses, and an escort of knights was riding behind — a long way behind. Tanis had reigned in his horse and was looking around like he thought he was lost, and Caramon was looking, too.
'I think — ' Caramon began.
'Yes, dear,' said Laurana patiently. 'This is the trail. I came this way before, remember?'
'Ten years ago,' Tanis reminded her, turning to look at her with a smile.
'Yes, ten years,' she said. 'But I'm not likely to ever forget it. I was with Silvara and Gilthanas… and Flint. Dear old Flint.' She sighed and brushed her hand across her cheek.
I felt a snuffle coming on, so I kept behind the tree until I could choke it back down. I heard Tanis clear his throat. He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle and moved closer to Caramon. Their horses were nose to nose and almost nose to nose with me.
'I was afraid this would happen,' Tanis said quietly. 'I tried to talk her out of coming, but she insisted. Damn knights. Polishing up their armor and their memories of glory from ten years ago, hoping that people will remember the battle of the High Clerist's Tower and forget the Sacking of Throtl.'
Caramon blinked. 'Was Throtl really? — '
'Don't exaggerate, Tanis,' said Laurana briskly, riding up to join them. 'And don't worry about me. It's good to be reminded of those who have gone before us, who wait for us at the end of our long journey. My memories of my dear friends aren't bitter. They don't make me unhappy, only sad. It is our loss, not theirs.' Her eyes went to Caramon as she spoke.
The big man smiled, nodded his head in silent understanding. He was thinking of Raistlin. I know because I was thinking of Raistlin, too, and some fog got into my eyes and made them go all watery. I thought about what Caramon had put on the little stone marker he set up in Solace in Raistlin's honor.
ONE GRANTED PEACE FOR HIS SACRIFICE. ONE WHO SLEEPS, AT REST. IN ETERNAL NIGHT.
Tanis scratched his beard. (His beard has little streaks of gray in it now. It looks quite distinguished.) He looked frustrated.
'You'll see what I mean when we get there. The knights have gone to all this trouble and expense, and I don't think it's going to help matters. People don't live in the past. They live in the present. That's what counts now. The knights need to do something to bolster our faith in them now, not remind us of what they were ten years ago. Some are beginning to say it was all wizard's work back then anyway. Gods and magic.' He shook his head. 'I wish we could forget the past and get on with the future.'
'But we should remember the past, honor it,' said Caramon, actually managing to finish a complete sentence. He wouldn't have managed that — Tanis was so worked up — only Tanis had been forced to stop talking by a sneeze. 'If people are divided now, then it seems that we should remind them of a time they came together.'
'If it would do that, it might be of some worth,' Tanis muttered, sniffing. He was searching through his pockets, probably for a handkerchief. He's quite careless about losing things. I know because I was holding onto his pack at the time.
Here's how it happened that I had his pack. I had stepped out from behind the tree, ready to surprise him. I caught hold of the pack, which had been tied (not very well) onto the back of the saddle. Suddenly the pack bounced loose and came off in my hand. I would have said something to him then, but he was talking again and it wouldn't have been polite to interrupt. So I took the pack and stepped back behind the tree and looked inside it to see if it was really his and not someone else's by mistake.
'But the knights won't do anything except wallow in the past,' Tanis was saying. 'Mark my words. Have you heard that latest song they've made up about Sturm? Some minstrel sang it for us the other night, before we left. I laughed out loud.'
'You deeply offended him,' said Laurana. 'He wouldn't even stay the night. And there was no need to follow him out to the gate, yelling at him.'
'I told him to sing the truth next time. Sturm Brightblade wasn't a paragon of virtue and courage. He was a man and he had the same fears and faults as the rest of us. Sing about that!'
Tanis sneezed again. 'Blast this damp! The cold eats into the bone. And we'll be spending the night on our knees in a mouldy old tomb. Where the blazes did I put my handker — '
Well, of course, it was in his pack.
'Is this it, Tanis? You dropped it,' I said, coming out of the fog.
Once they were over being amazed, they were all very happy to see me. Laurana hugged me (she is so beautiful!) and they asked me where I was going and I told them and then they didn't look so happy.
'You were supposed to invite him to come,' said Laurana.
(She either said that or 'You WEREN'T supposed to invite him to come.' I wasn't certain. She was talking so softly I had to strain my ears to hear.)
'I didn't,' said Tanis, and he glared at Caramon.
'Not me!' said the big man emphatically.
'Oh, don't worry,' I said, not wanting them to feel bad that they'd each forgotten to invite me. 'I have my own invitation. It found me, so to speak.' And I held it up.
They all stared at it and looked so amazed and astonished that I thought I better not say who had sent it to me. Like I said, Tanis always groans whenever I mention Fizban.
Tanis said something in a low voice to Caramon that sounded like, 'It will only make things worse if we try to get rid of him… follow us… this way, keep an eye on him.'
I wondered who it was they were talking about.
'Who are you talking about?' I asked. 'Who'd follow you? Keep an eye on who?'
'I'll give you three guesses,' Tanis growled, holding out his hand to me and pulling me up to ride behind him.
Well, I spent the rest of the trip to the Silver Dragon Mountain guessing, but Tanis said I never got it right.
CHAPTER TWO
'I asked you not to bring the kender,' said Lord Gunthar.
